PFF ranks Deone Walker the 11th-best player in college football

Another best-of list, another placement for Kentucky defensive lineman, Deone Walker. This time, the folks over at Power Football Focus (PFF), the same group that provides in-depth, analytical grades after every NFL and college football game, have parlayed their analytics-driven data into a simple list of the top 50 players in the NCAA. Walker was the only Kentucky player to make the cut, coming in at No. 11.

Here is what they had to say about beastly Wildcat:

“Walker is an alien sent to Earth to terrorize SEC backfields. He’s 6-foot-6 and 348 pounds and revealed in a recent PFF interview that he aims to run in the “high 4.6s” in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. For reference, the record for an interior defensive lineman is 4.67 seconds by Calijah Kancey, who is nearly 70 pounds lighter than Walker.

Most defensive tackles of Walker’s size are limited to being run-stuffers. While he earned an 81.7 PFF [grade] run-defense grade last year, Walker is also an incredibly productive pass-rusher. His 51 pressures in 2023 were the most by any interior defensive lineman in college football, while his eight sacks led the Power Five.”

Walker has been racking up the preseason awards. He recently made the Lombardi Award Preseason Watch List, was named Preseason All-American by ESPN and The Athletic, and was dubbed the 21st-best player in college football, also by ESPN.

Every 2025 mock NFL draft lists Walker as a first-round selection so this could be a big year for Kentucky’s favorite interior athletic monster. Just a couple of short weeks before the season starts, and Walker begins his quest to live up to the hype.